Two years ago, Beltran was amid his second strong season in a row with the Cardinals, one that would finally take him to the World Series; along the way, he added two more homers to a postseason resumé (.333/.445/.683 with 16 homers) to rival that of Big Papi. Ninth among centerfielders in JAWS and closing in on 400 homers, he seemed even more likely to ...

[Jim] Thorpe’s inability to hit anything except straight ball pitching, which opposing twirlers took care that he did not get, proved too great a handicap for even this great athlete. Passed on to ther Jersey City club of the International league, his weakness was so apparent to all pitchers that the hitless Indian was dropped from the class AA league as valueless.

As punishment, he should be forced to watch only ESPN content for the next week. I know that’s cruel but if even one person, let alone a whole country, is offended the punishment must certainly be the harshest possible.

Talking on his national radio show, which is simulcast on ESPNU, Cowherd was making a point about whether a general manager had the capability of stepping down from the executive office and adeptly handling managerial duties, as the Miami Marlins’ Dan Jennings has been asked to ...

MLB sources confirmed to me this afternoon that the Cubs have been in discussions with the Philadelphia Phillies on a deal for Cole Hamels who has three years left on his current contract plus an option year. While he is an expensive piece he fits the needs of the team to upgrade their rotation while adding a player who would be a part of the team beyond the rest of this season. The Cubs will probably add an additional starter for depth perhaps as a rental type but that is not expected to be a ...

For how often he throws his breaking balls, McHugh is still getting excellent whiffs on those pitches. But don’t let that blind you to the fact that his fastball is not very good. With every tick he loses on the pitch, the more likely he is to give up home runs on it. He’s been hiding the pitch since he got in the league, but there’s not really any place to hide the fastball further when you’re throwing it less than anybody else in baseball not named R.A. ...

“I feel an obligation to support them in a situation where I can do something to help them win,” Luhnow said. “They care as much as anybody, because they’re on the team.

“I think when you don’t make a move, even though sometimes that’s the right thing to do, people can misinterpret it as they’re not being supported. Now I would never make a move … just to make them feel supported, but it’s the right move to make, and it’s in our domain to make it.”

Accordingly, when someone like Ben Zobrist, a utility player long coveted by the front office, becomes available, Alderson faces this: WFAN’s Ed Coleman reported that the Mets don’t want to pay the remaining balance on Zobrist’s 2015 salary, between $2-3 million.

That’s outrageous. That amount is a small fraction of the found money the team has recovered from the insurance policy on David Wright’s contract—75 percent of his $20 million contract after the first 60 days missed. It’s an even ...

Thursday, July 23, 2015

I’ll be honest, the first trade proposal is usually lopsided and often downright embarrassing. I can’t tell you how many times a GM has offered me two utility players for an All-Star. But it’s important to be polite and respectful … while offering a quick counter that favors your team, albeit with a little less margin. That puts the conversation on track if it’s going to go anywhere. Then you have these conversations with other teams. Working on multiple deals at the same time—with an ...

Twelve years after the Pirates traded him away, Aramis Ramirez is coming back to Pittsburgh.

The Bucs acquired Ramirez and cash considerations from the Brewers on Thursday in exchange for Minor League right-hander Yhonathan Barrios, providing a much-needed upgrade for the injury-ravaged left side of their infield.

Three Giants—Bumgarner, Buster Posey (No. 3) and Hunter Pence (No. 6)—have their jerseys ranked in the top 10.

In less than three months in the league, Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant ranks second. In fact, since making his debut, 15 signed cards of Bryant, who signed a memorabilia deal with Fanatics last week, have sold for more than $5,000 each.
PLAYER TEAM
1. Madison Bumgarner Giants
2. Kris Bryant Cubs
3. Buster Posey Giants
4. Clayton Kershaw Dodgers
5. Bryce ...

The Astros made a trade Thursday, acquiring left-hander Scott Kazmir from the A’s for two minor leaguers, right-handed pitcher Daniel Mengden and catcher Jacob Nottingham…

The 31-year-old Kazmir, a 2002 Cy Falls graduate, will join the club in Kansas City on Friday. He is 5-5 with a 2.38 ERA this season 18 starts for the A’s this season. Among American League pitchers, Kazmir ranks fourth in opponent batting average (.213) and fifth in ERA. On the season, Kazmir has ...

Update: Conforto raked at high Class A St. Lucie and has been even better since a promotion to Double-A Binghamton, slashing .317/.401/.518 in 43 games.

Prognosis: Drafted No. 10 overall just a year ago out of Oregon State, Conforto is forcing the Mets’ hand into considering a callup quicker than they would like. An inept offense and an injury to Michael Cuddyer have Conforto on the precipice of a major league stint and scouts believe his lefthanded bat and ...

Capt. Johnny Evers of the Braves, was ordered out of the game between the Braves and Cubs yesterday, after he had had a lively fistic mixup with Umpire Quigley.
...
Evers worked the pitcher for a count of three and two. The fourth ball was outside, and although Evers was entitled to first, he turned and made some remark to Umpire Quigley. Quigley must have made some rejoinder, for Evers walked up to him. The next instant Quigley hauled back and struck Evers a ...

Commissioner Rob Manfred thinks baseball may need to consider moving the trade deadline back to give teams in the hunt for a wild card more time.

A second wild card in each league was added in 2012, keeping more teams in playoff contention long past the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. And those clubs may not have enough time to evaluate whether their rosters are good enough to get one.

“I think that the July 31st deadline is something that we may want to ...

Gurriel is hitting .373/.430/.390 for Quebec this year but has little major league projection as a 33-year-old on the downside of his career. Bell would generate some big league interest, but the 31-year-old is not the player he was at his peak. He’s hitting .312/.344/.440 with two homers for Quebec with more gap power in batting practice.

Everything. But nothing I’m going to talk about specifically. We have to look at potential reason for why the total results haven’t been there and I think if you start isolating one particular decision or transition that’s really difficult because we know in baseball, look at all 30 teams, we know in baseball that not every decision you make is going to work out. What matters are the ...